22-year-old man ‘beaten up’ at de-addiction centre

A 22-year-old man was allegedly beaten up by security guards at ESI Hospital’s de-addiction centre here on Thursday night.

A 22-year-old man was allegedly beaten up by security guards at ESI Hospital’s de-addiction centre here on Thursday night.

Twenty two-year-old Sonu, a drug addict, was admitted to de-addiction centre six days ago for the treatment and had allegedly received head and back injuries after a security guard at the centre beat him up even when he had gone out after taking permission from a staff member at the centre.

Baljeet Singh, father of the patient, alleged that someone had informed him that his son was brutally beaten up by security guards on Thursday night as he refused to give them medicines he was taking.

He alleged: “The security guards wanted medicines for their own consumption as the dose given to the drug addicts have some intoxicants.”

According to victim’s father, on Friday morning, after taking permission from the authorities concerned, Sonu went out to collect his medical report and when he came back to the centre he was again beaten up mercilessly by a security guard.

Aman Sood, a doctor at the centre, said: “Patient has violated rule of the de-addiction centre and also misbehaved with our staff. Sonu’s family is levelling false allegations that the patient was beaten up by our staff.”

Meanwhile, Sonu, a resident of Shiv Nagar, said: “The behaviour of staff at the drug de-addiction centre was not good. Every day one or the other patient is being harassed here.”

Other patients at the centre alleged that if staff members would not change their attitude towards them, they had no other option but to leave the centre as they was facing problems due to shortage of electricity and water.

Dr RL Bassan, civil surgeon, also visited the Centre and said that he had directed the staff at the centre that they could not physically harass any patient. If anyone was found guilty, he would be punished, Bassan added.